Medical Insurance, Billing, and Coding

Managing vast amounts of medical insurance and billing information is critical to the success of any healthcare organization. Berkeley College offers degree and certificate programs to prepare students with the important business and technology skills needed for positions in medical insurance, billing, and coding. Courses provide students with the required knowledge and skills to become nationally certified.

Graduates of the Medical Insurance Billing and Coding (MIBC) certificate program are required to participate in the Certified Professional Biller examination (CPB) through the AAPC or the Certified Billing and Coding Specialist examination (CBCS) through the National Healthcareer Association (NHA)— both are nationally accepted standards of achievement in the administrative part of the field. The certificate program focuses primarily on medical billing pursuits such as an introduction to coding, reimbursement, legal and ethical requirements, and the medical billing cycle in the professional or outpatient setting. For more information, visit http://www.nhanow.com/certifications/billing-coding and https://www.aapc.com/certification/medical-billing-certification.aspx.

Graduates of the Medical Insurance Billing and Coding (MIBC) degree program are required to register for the Certified Coding Associate examination (CCA) through the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) or the Certified Professional Coder examination (CPC) through AAPC — both are nationally accepted standards of achievement in the coding field. (If you have already completed the MIBC Certificate program at the college, Berkeley will apply all 11 courses from the MIBC certificate to the Medical Insurance Billing and Coding degree program.) The degree program covers both facility (inpatient) and professional (outpatient) coding. Both the AAPC and AHIMA recommend an Associate’s degree prior to sitting for the CCA and CPC certification examinations. For certain medical billing and coding jobs, an Associate’s degree is highly desirable, and may be required. For more information, visit http://www.ahima.org/certification and https://www.aapc.com/certification/cpc/.

Although certification is not required to work in most states, employers prefer to hire certified Medical Insurance, Billing, and Coding graduates.

Faculty members in this program are selected for both academic excellence and relevant professional experience. They combine firsthand knowledge with teaching experience to help prepare students to enter this in-demand field.

Curricula that focus on the structure and dynamics of the healthcare industry

An emphasis on technology and specialized software to collect, process, and use information essential to the healthcare industry and its clients

Training in communications between healthcare providers and private and governmental funding agencies

Valuable, practical experience through program-related, faculty-monitored internships or job-related assignments if enrolled in the Associate’s degree program

A seamless transition between the Certificate and Associate’s degree programs